Day: April 8, 2014

Finding sharks’ teeth made the list of things John wanted to do in 2014 so we included a trip to the beach in Venice during our Southwest Florida trip over Spring Break. According to the Visit Florida website, millions of sharks’ teeth wash up on the white sand where beach-goers sift the sands for the treasures. Sounds easy!

Of course, it required more effort than simply sifting through sand and picking out the black bits of teeth. Using a metal sifter, John scooped shells in ankle deep water and then picked through the pieces of shell left behind but didn’t find even one shark’s tooth.

Another tooth hunter provided some tips and shared some of his finds proving sharks’ teeth could be found but the “Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World” doesn’t give up the treasures without effort.

The next day, we started by purchasing “the tool”. The basket on a long handle used to scoop a large quantity of sand without the constant bending and digging in the shallow water. We also drove south to Stump Pass Beach State Park…success! We’re now the proud owners of dozens of sharks’ teeth, and just like shell collecting…shark teeth hunting is addicting. John continued the hunt even in the rain.

Stump Pass State Park

If you’re inclined to join the shark teeth hunt, you may want to visit the Venice area this weekend and attend the 22nd Annual Venice Sharks Tooth Festival. The festival runs from April 11-13 at the City of Venice Airport Festival Grounds and features live entertainment, food, arts and crafts, and of course sharks’ teeth. And of course, you’ll need to buy “the tool” and head over to the beaches to find your own supply of shark tooth treasures.